One would be hard-pressed to find a pickleball club more imaginative than the Lucky Shots Pickleball Club in Minneapolis, MN. Setting their sights high, the folks at Lucky Shots strive to be “one of the best clubs in the world.” And they have the firepower to do it. Lucky Shots is bringing in myriads of members thanks to their focus on art, aesthetics, and hospitality.
Peter Remes is the owner and founder of Lucky Shots, and he also happens to be the owner of a real estate company called First and First. Remes was running First and First before he started Lucky Shots, and his experience as a creative renovator prepared him for future success in pickleball. About four years ago, the stars aligned, and Remes found pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic. He absolutely loved the game, but the only facilities around were cramped with only two courts. Suddenly, the idea was born. Remes saw the promising potential of pickleball and capitalized on it by transforming one of his large industrial buildings into a beautiful pickleball club. Remes describes the building as looking like an “old train station.”
When the Lucky Shots doors were opened in October of 2021, its owner did not know much about running a pickleball business: “We did not really understand the world of pickleball from an operational aspect.” But the crew at Lucky Shots did not let inexperience get in the way of their ambitious goals. Now, almost 29,000 players hold memberships at Lucky Shots. Remes credits the club’s massive membership to the creative, beautiful facility and the overall experience that Lucky Shots provides.
Lucky Shots has many of the amenities and features that characterize a thriving club: 19 quality indoor courts, social spaces, and even a food and beverage operation. All of these things are great, but Lucky Shots wanted to go above and beyond, and they did so by designing a one-of-a-kind facility.
Remes’s inspiration for the design of Lucky Shots was a retro, old-school country club combined with modern elements and a contemporary edge. He wanted the facility to look “punchy, dynamic, interesting, and contemporary.” Remes’s love for creative architecture and design so influenced his pickleball facility that he calls Lucky Shots a “marriage” between the pickleball and real estate world.
Lucky Shots is full of color; pinks, purples, and greens are painted all around. Glowing chandeliers line the facility, and various jazzy lounge areas are spread about for enjoying a drink and a good conversation. The atmosphere is vibrant and lively with hosts of green plants strewn about the interior. Plants can even be found painted on the walls. The owner’s devotion to both cherishing the past and pushing forward toward the future shows in the giant neon light fixtures on the ceilings and the intriguing artwork on the lounge walls.
Lucky Shots is also completely sold out for providing hospitality and an outstanding customer experience. Madison Tegg, the Creative Marketing Manager at Lucky Shots, testifies that the facility is as welcoming and inviting as it is beautiful. Remes says, “We’ve created a destination that people will come to because they can’t get that experience anywhere else.”
When asked for advice for aspiring pickleball club owners, Peter shared three priorities that any club owner should have: quality service, a customer-centered mindset, and an inspired and motivated staff.
The sky is the limit when a club has a wide membership, a beautiful space, and superb hospitality
